In honour of Fathers’ Day, here are a few random Romaniacal thoughts on the whole complicated Dad issue.
Dads are a mixed bunch. They might be absent by choice, around all the time (but somehow not really there), dearly departed members of the family or all round good eggs who do nappies, wash the floor without being asked and buy flowers when it’s not even your birthday. Whichever category your dad falls into, he will have contributed in lots of ways to the person that’s reading this post, and not just in the way your hair sticks up in the mornings, your worrying tendency to miss deadlines and your passion for Toblerone.
‘Who’s your daddy?’ has come to mean a lot of different things over the years. Mostly, it’s got nothing to do with genetics – it usually means ‘Right, that’s shown you who’s boss around here,’ or ‘In your face, sucker!’ Does your dad fall into the bossy category or can you wrap him around your little finger? Would you change anything about him, or is he/was he perfect just the way he was made?
These are my top ten qualifications for a Superdad, in no particular order.
A truly great dad –
- Reads stories, and does all the voices, even Piglet
- Makes you laugh until your ribs ache
- Provides huge, comforting hugs
- Doesn’t mind looking daft in a good cause
- Makes your mum happy (or at least doesn’t make her want to smother him in his sleep)
- Helps with nasty homework, especially maths
- Likes cooking, and knows where the dishwasher/sink is afterwards
- Listens, even when you know you’re talking complete rubbish
- Can tolerate a house full of sprawling, half asleep hungover friends
- Loves you. Always. Whatever you do.
My own Pa managed nine out of ten. He never could get the hang of that cooking malarkey.
The Romaniacs 